


Bruised and Battered but Still Goin' Strong

by wuwu



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Bruises, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans!X-Ray, Violence, honestly there's so many choices for their names i cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4374869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wuwu/pseuds/wuwu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few bruised ribs and limbs weren’t really anything to be wary of, in Ray’s opinion. No, the worse part was being unable to do anything about the breasts hanging lamely from his chest. Mogar and Vav to the rescue!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruised and Battered but Still Goin' Strong

**Author's Note:**

> there's so many tags to use just for their names?? and pairings??? i cry

_There was no way in Hell that plan would work._

_It was supposed to be easy, according to Vav. Flank the robber on either side and force him to climb the escape ladder that lead to the roof. Vav would use his slow-mo powers on the guy and slow him down while X-Ray would singe him enough to make him stop moving with his x-ray vision. Simple and elementary in hindsight, but of course, nothing was simple with the mighty duo._

_No, Vav wanted to take it further. He wanted to make the guy climb another goddamn ladder so he could chase him a few buildings down, right to the one with the helipad on it. He’d convinced X-Ray that he’d somehow get a helicopter to show up and make things more dramatic; give them that_ wow! _factor. And he’d believed him. Because how was a crime fighting duo supposed to work if they couldn’t trust each other?_

_But what Vav didn’t count on was the guy pulling a gun out of his waistband and pointing it at the two as he waved it around. He’d gotten them close to the edge when Vav realized that, unfortunately, his helicopter wouldn’t arrive on time, and he’d have to work his magic sooner than planned. What was even worse was that a bullet had already shot out and grazed X-Ray’s calf and caused his legs to wobble beneath himself. He found himself falling off the building and knocking his head against the concrete as he landed on his side from trying to maneuver himself in the short period of falling._

_He could only focus on his harsh breathing and the sounds of a few citizens running over to him. His eyes were shut and he could feel the pain in his bottom lip grow as he bit into it to stop from crying out. The last thing he needed to do was make an even bigger fool of himself. So he forced himself to stagger to his feet and help in the last few moments of the fight. His side burned and his head pounded as he moved to climb the ladder once more._

_He’d barely managed to stay balanced atop the roof when the robber was captured and handcuffed with Vav standing before him, a cocky grin on his face._

_Extra extra, read all about it: X-Ray faints while partner Vav saves the day…_

 

God it was such bullshit. He had to take pills at practically all hours of the day to stop himself from crying at the pain ‘cause he was too much of a wimp to handle it without being doped up on meds. He had to do stupid breathing exercises that burned like a bitch even though they somehow helped in the long run. Hell, he couldn’t even go out and fight crime with Mogar and Vav. (All that time spent kissing up to Mogar so they could work together, and it was all tossed down the drain as he had to lay in bed almost all day long.)

The worst part was not being able to bind, in Ray’s opinion.

He had to wear one of Mogar’s (few) shirts since they left plenty of room to sit around in, and even though he was grateful for the extra space, it still made him feel sick. His leg still hurt a bit from the gunshot, but it wasn’t so bad as to be unbearable, so he slowly made his way to the bathroom to assess the damage once more. (Honestly, what else was he supposed to do?)

Ray closed the door behind himself as he pressed a palm against the cool ceramic of the sink’s counter. Looking up into the mirror, he grimaced at the sight of the bump on the right side of his head. He reached up to rub at it but pulled away before realizing he’d only make it feel worse. Instead he focused on the slight bruising on his arm from where he landed. It was a light shade of purple with a few blotches of red and had a few scrapes around it, but it wasn’t anything that wouldn’t heal in a few days time. No, the damage was mainly under the oversized t-shirt he was wearing.

He picked up the shirt with both hands and fully looked at the red and yellow bruising running along in splotches along his right side, spattered around his ribcage and soft to the touch. His chest rose and fell shakily, still unable to take full breaths even after being bedridden for almost two days. (Two days wasn’t anything close to recovery, even Ray knew that, but a man could wish, right?)

A few bruised ribs and limbs weren’t really anything to be wary of, in Ray’s opinion. No, the worst part was being unable to do anything about the breasts hanging lamely from his chest. He didn’t have large breasts, just barely making a B cup, but it did nothing to help his dysphoria. Feeling something, anything, tight around his chest was the only thing to help him feel safe and secure. Getting injured did, as Gavin would put it, bugger all to help. He wouldn’t dare putting on a binder, either, not wanting to be bedridden and binder-free for another week or two because of his stupidity.

Maybe if he’d asked Mogar to go with them to fight none of it would’ve happened. Instead he’d left him with Hilda. The scientist had wanted to chat with Mogar, or Michael, as Gavin jokingly once called him after learning he didn’t have a real _real_ name. She’d been interested on why he was still unable to understand most day to day things after being in the city for almost a year. He’d gotten better at learning what was up with the bustle and hustle of the city after being exposed to it for a while, but certain things seemed to leave a confusing imprint in his brain.

Like knocking.

Because no, the all mighty Mogar was too good for knocking. Apparently he had the privilege to just walk through doors and be excused from it, too.

“I found him,” Michael called out after pushing the door open.

Ray dropped the shirt with a yelp and a jump, almost falling backwards into the bathtub as he felt his heels hit the edge of it.

“Jesus Christ, why don’t you ever knock?!” Ray yelled as his hands moved up to press against his collarbone.

Michael just gave a shrug and hoisted himself up to sit on the counter, grabbing a towel off the handrack and rubbing it under his eyes. Facepaint smeared against his cheeks and wiped off on the towel, leaving red streaks in the fabric. Not wetting the towel before cleaning his face seemed to be another enigma left to be untouched, it seemed.

“Why are you back so early?” Ray asked, sitting on the edge of the tub as he felt his breathing slow and limbs loosen up.

“We wanted to check up on you,” he said. “Decided to call it a day. Too tired to do anything.” He placed the towel in his lap and looked down at Ray. His eyes scanned over the man before his blank expression seemed to soften. “You were doing that thing again.”

“Pfft, what thing?” Ray sputtered, arms crossing over his chest. His lips seemed to purse and hide away at the same time as his arms met the soft squish of his breasts. “I’m not doing anything.”

“He’s not gonna believe you,” Michael muttered. He brought the towel back up to his face and scrubbed at it for a few more seconds before pausing at the sound of footsteps approaching the bathroom. Gavin stepped in with small smile and an ice pack, dressed in pajama bottoms with a small blanket draped over his shoulders.

“What’re you doing out here?” he asked. He quickly grabbed and wet the towel in the sink before handing the towel back to Michael before walking over to sit on the toilet’s cover. “You’re s’pposed to be in bed.” He handed the ice pack to Ray, who took it gratefully and pressed it against his side.

“Y’know,” Ray motioned with his free hand, “things. I’m a busy guy.”

“Busy playing those stupid games,” Michael scoffed.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you suck ass.”

“Oi, that’s not true!” Gavin called out.

“You’re right,” Ray grinned. “He’s actually better than you.”

“Whatever,” Gavin huffed, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just get you to bed, yeah?” He offered his hand to Ray and helped him off the tub before wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

“Take me away, Doctor Free,” Ray said in a high pitch.

“Oh, shut it,” Gavin smiled. He pressed a quick kiss to Ray’s cheek before leading him out of the bathroom, kissing Michael on the cheek as well as they passed by.

“How are things in the city?” Ray asked as he slid under the covers, scooting towards the middle of the bed. “I’d watch the news, but nobody has time for that boring shit.”

“It’s been pretty easy since Mogar has been helping out a bit more,” Gavin admitted. “He said he didn’t want me to get hurt like a certain someone.” He wriggled under the covers as well, taking the ice pack from Ray as he felt it press against his skin. He reached behind himself and set it on the nightstand by the bed, turning back to card his fingers through Ray’s hair.

“Excuse me for not being able to fly,” Ray grumbled. “You should get Hilda right on that.”

“Maybe you’ll grow wings when you fall off another building,” Gavin joked. “You could be a little bird.”

“If anyone’s a bird, it’s you, Gav.”

“A bear and a bird,” Michael said slowly as he walked into the room. His arms and feet were bare as he walked into the room. His face and arms were clear of any sort of paint, though his skin was still a bit red from the scrubbing. His hood was clutched in his hand, along with his belt and armbands as he walked in with a pair of boxer briefs on. “What’ll you be, then?” He hung his hood and belt on the doorknob of the closet door and placed the bands atop their dresser before joining the two in bed.

“Something cool,” Ray nodded. “Like, a sloth or a penguin or some shit.”

“A sloth?” Gavin laughed.

“A penguin?” Michael questioned.

“Look, you two just don’t know what’s hip these days,” Ray sighed. “Mogar’s been livin’ on his own since like, forever ago, so he has an excuse. Gavin, on the other hand, you have absolutely nothing to fall back onto.”

“It’s true,” Michael shrugged.

“Stop the bullying,” Gavin whined. “Just, go to sleep Ray.”

Ray complied with a roll of his eyes, finding Michael’s hand under the covers and latching on as he felt the fingers in his hair trail down to rub circles on his cheek. The three lay there in silence for a few minutes before Ray dared to open his eyes again. He caught Gavin making various eyebrow movements at Michael, not even focused on Ray as he tried to make the other snort with laughter.

Ray’s eyes moved down to stare at Gavin’s, luckily, flat chest. Sure, there was a whole bunch of hair, much more than Ray could say for himself, but maybe that was better. And yeah, he had hair on his arms and legs, but that was more because it was more natural and he just didn’t shave often. He had a fairly decent happy trail, though. Even so, it didn’t compare to the pelt of fur Gavin seemed to have.

Michael was practically free of hair as well, but that was only because he wasn’t very good at keeping hair on places other than his legs and arms. He’d managed to grow a bit of stubble but had shaved it off soon after, not liking the feel on himself.

That cheered Ray up a little, taking solace in the fact that he wasn’t very different, but he couldn’t stop the longing stares at Gavin’s body. His chest was a marvel to look at, both out of jealousy and wonder on how such a thin man could have enough hair to match a guy three times his size. He wouldn’t turn around, though, not wanting to look at the even more toned body that was Mogar.

Yeah, he was kind of fucked.

Gavin had noticed the fallen look on Ray’s face, watching as his mood slowly soured and fell apart. He looked back up at Michael with raised eyebrows and waved his hand in the air before placing it back against Ray’s cheek. Michael only responded with the lowering of his head, glancing down towards the covers before darting back up.

‘What?’ Gavin mouthed.

‘Chest.’

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows.

Michael rolled his eyes before puffing his chest up a bit. ‘Chest,’ he mouthed again.

“Oh,” Gavin whispered. “Oh!”

‘Idiot.’

“That doesn’t look like sleeping,” Gavin muttered, staring down at Ray. No answer came from the man. His eyes were out of focus and trained down under the covers. “Ray? Are you there? X-Raaaaaaaay.”

“Huh? D’you say somethin’?” Ray asked.

“You okay?” Michael asked, hand squeezing Ray’s under the covers.

“Oh, yeah,” he nodded, leaning back into Michael’s chest. “These meds make me kind of loopy is all. I should be able to sleep it off.”

“Now, I think we both know that’s not really the problem,” Gavin scolded softly. “You can tell us anything, X-Ray. We’re not gonna laugh or anything.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Ray dismissed. Gavin sent him a disapproving look and he raised his eyebrows with a look of disbelief. “Really. I’m cool as a cucumber, dude.”

“Give us something to work with, Ray,” Michael sighed. “Please?”

“I don’t… I don’t know what to say, okay?” Ray grumbled. He pulled his hand away from Michael’s and shifted until he was lying flat on his back.

“Well, how do you feel?” Gavin asked.

“How do I feel?” Ray repeated. “I feel shitty, alright? I’ve got a fucking headache that won’t go away, my leg is always fucking throbbing, and my ribs are fucked. I’ve got this nasty ass bruise and I can’t go out and fight with the two of you. I can’t even bind and it doesn’t help that you two probably have the best bodies I’ve ever seen. It’s kind of hard to not feel like crap.”

“I mean, there’s not much I can do about the physical pain, but you’re still one top bloke, Ray,” Gavin said. “Your appearance doesn’t define you. It’s whatever you know you are. And if you know how you feel, you shouldn’t get so wound up about this.”

“Ugh, it’s just not that simple,” Ray groaned. He felt Michael’s legs shift under the covers to nudge at his and crossed their ankles, choosing to focus mainly on the contact between the two. “Like, I know what I feel but it just. Doesn’t change anything. I can’t just will it away like that, Gav. I could probably just sleep it off and hope I feel better when I wake up, but it still sucks.”

“You always say stuff like that, and yet I never learn,” Gavin mumbled.

“That’s ‘cause you don’t listen,” Michael called out, earning an indignant sputter from the lad.

“I do too!”

“No, you don’t,” Michael scoffed. “Sure, you listen, but you don’t _listen._ ” He propped his head up in his hand as he moved to sit up in bed, gently shifting Ray so his head was in his lap. “There are just some things you can’t fix.”

“I guess that’s true,” Gavin muttered.

“Your nose is living proof,” Ray snickered, revelling in the playful smack to his arm.

“How many times am I going to have to tell you to stop the bullying?” he cried out. Shoving the covers towards the foot of the bed so he could comfortably prop himself up with his elbows, Gavin watched as Michael’s rough fingers ran through Ray’s fluffy tufts of hair. He could see Ray visibly relax the longer he laid there and decided that yeah, maybe changing things up would be good for the situation at hand.

“New catchphrase,” Michael laughed. “You’re gonna say it a lot.”

“Say _that_ to the next robber you see, Vav.”

“How about we all just stop and leave me alone,” Gavin spoke slowly. “Because now it’s Ray Time.”

“Hooray,” Ray deadpanned.

“Rude,” Gavin pouted.

“Alright, alright,” Ray relented. “Thanks for being all chill and shit about this. You two are honestly the greatest guys I’ve ever met and I’m really glad we all decided to come together like this those few months ago. Ten out of ten would date again.”

“Gay,” Gavin whispered.

Ray kicked his shin.

“Okay, okay, just talk,” Gavin whined. “A Sad Ray is a Bad Ray.”

“Nah, I think I’ll sleep it off instead.” Ray sighed through his nose before feeling around for Gavin’s face, perking up when he felt his nose and then moving lower. “Just hush and let me rest, dude.”

“‘Kay,” Gavin said, muffled by Ray’s fingers.

“X-Ray out.”

**Author's Note:**

> this goes out to [literallyepsilon](http://literallyepsilon.tumblr.com/) on tumblr bc i was reading their morav posts and got really hyped to write this
> 
> find me at [miachelvjones](http://miachelvjones.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!


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